


(you are) real to me

by AstrologicalGem



Category: Snowpiercer (TV 2020)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hallucinations, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Post-Canon, Rats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-26 15:20:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30107982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AstrologicalGem/pseuds/AstrologicalGem
Summary: Alex shows up at the research station. Melanie is less than surprised.
Relationships: Alexandra Cavill & Melanie Cavill, Melanie Cavill & Andre Layton, Melanie Cavill & Bennett Knox, Melanie Cavill & Wilford
Comments: 8
Kudos: 19





	(you are) real to me

Melanie's sitting in her chair at the research station when Alexandra comes in. Mel is staring at the logbook, past the point of caring, now-she'll do what it takes to survive, and sometimes surviving is just holding on. Just hold on, Cavill. 

"Mom!" Alexandra calls out when she sees her. Melanie looks up from her book, smiling gently. She sets the book aside.

"Hey, honey. I'm going to start on dinner in ten minutes, if that's alright. Just sit down, okay?" Mel smiles, looking over at her. 

Alex nods, and sits down. She's unnerved, but takes it as just her mom being weird. "So, uh...how have you been?"

Melanie shrugs. "I've been at an abandoned research facility for two months alone. I'm holding up." She laughs awkwardly. Alexandra tries to laugh, but it falls flat. Melanie looks over at the corner; she seems focused on someone else for a minute, and waves them off, shaking her head.

"Mom...I'm sorry. For leaving you, I'm sorry, we're all sorry, we didn't mean to leave you..." Alexandra trails off. Melanie nods. Alexandra hears the trap in the other room, and Melanie smiles faintly.

"I know. Come on, come with me." Melanie jerks her head in the direction of the kitchen room. There's a trap set up in the middle of the room, and a rat in the trap. Alexandra is following on Melanie's heels, curious. 

"There are rats here, you know." Melanie smiles. Alexandra smiles back. God, her mom is cool.

"Wow, mom..." Alexandra states. 

"Have a seat." Melanie gestures to a spot on the floor by the heater, and Alexandra sits down. Melanie takes the rat over, quickly killing it and sticking it on the spit. Alexandra watches curiously, looking over at Melanie. From Melanie's view, she sees Joseph Wilford, Bennett Knox, and Andre Layton standing by Alex, curiously examining Alex. Melanie rolls her eyes. "Lay off of her, you guys, she's just like you," she says to the three of them. 

Melanie goes back to humming, undisturbed by the three hallucinations. Alexandra looks around the room, very confused. Maybe she's just talking to herself...?

"Are you sure, Mel?" Wilford chimes in.

"Yeah, she doesn't look like it..." Layton adds on. 

"Well, there's no possible way she could be real, you guys." Mel sighs. 

"Really, Mel?" Ben pipes up. 

Melanie nods. Wilford huffs, resigned. Layton looks at Melanie, concern in his eyes.

"Mom...? Who are you talking to?" Melanie smiles over at Alexandra, and then looks back to the cooking rat. Alexandra sighs. Fine, I'll try another angle. "What song are you humming?"

"It's an old Etta James song. I think it's called Stormy Weather." Mel speaks up. 

"It's nice."

"It is." Melanie smiles softly. She takes the rat off of the spit, placing it on the plate. She goes to sit across from Alexandra by the heater. Melanie sees Bennett and Layton sitting between Alexandra, and Wilford sitting next to her, on her right side. 

"So that's going to feed the two of us?" Alex asks. 

Melanie looks up, and the three hallucinations all look at her, looks of concern on their faces. Melanie takes a breath before she speaks.

"Hallucinations don't need to eat, Alex. And I know you're not real, you're just like the others." Melanie gestures to Bennett, Layton, and Wilford, who all wave, but only Melanie can see them. 

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell @ me at onetrainsnowpiercer on tumblr


End file.
